Walter Bonatti was born in Bergamo on June 22, 1930. As a young man he dedicated himself to extreme alpinism, and from the age of 19 to 35, he became an expert climber. In 1954 he played a vital role in the success of the Italian expedition that achieved the first ascent of K2. After 1965 Bonatti gave up mountaineering, turning to photojournalism for the Italian magazine Epoca, and travelling to remote places.